Future PLC Colin Poole

Splendid Spare Rooms and Fancy Fireplaces

Here at jmm PR, we have been scouring the internet for our favourite articles of the week.

This week brings ideas for making the most of your spare room and tips for creating a cosy and inviting fireplace.

Image: Next

Good Homes – Spare room ideas: make the most of your space

Those of us who are lucky enough to have a spare room at home will know that, despite our best intentions, it often ends up being unused or acting as additional storage space. Typically one of the smallest rooms in the house, it can be difficult to design a spare room that is functional and practical. This article from Good Homes provides six simple ideas on how we can make the most of our spare rooms, transforming them into areas that are both multifunctional and stylish.

In addition to suggestions such as creating a dedicated space for doing laundry complete with clothes rails and ironing boards, or turning the area into a cosy snug that’s perfect for relaxing, this article features a range of ideas that are sure to inspire a makeover of your spare room. With many of us still working from home, transforming your unused space into a sleek and stylish home office is a great way of providing privacy and a de-cluttered area to work, hopefully leading to increased productivity and creativity!

We love the idea of using a spare room to create a dedicated area to get ready. By simply adding a dressing table, chair or stool and some storage for organising your products, you can transform an unused or cluttered space into a stylish dressing room that can be accessorised with artwork, flowers and candles. We also really like the idea of using multifunctional furniture to ensure you make the most of the space you have available. The Good Homes teams’ idea of positioning the headboard of a bed up against a desk (pictured below) is a simple yet effective way of creating a separate living and working space within one room.

Image: IKEA

Whatever the shape or size of your spare room, and regardless of how much clutter it’s currently housing, this article offers up some helpful inspiration on how to make the most of the extra space that you may have at home!

Image: Future PLC/Colin Poole

Ideal Home – 19 fireplace ideas for a year-round feature – from modern painted mantelpieces to rustic hearths

A fireplace can make a perfect focal point in a room, so it’s important to style it just right. Whether you have an open fire or an empty space under your mantelpiece, this article from Ideal Home has a plethora of ideas to ensure your fireplace is stylish, inviting and cosy.

There are a whopping 19 ideas featured in the article, which cover both traditional and contemporary room schemes. If you have an actual fire in place, we love the idea of keeping things elegant with a marble mantelpiece, or adding character with exposed brick. The idea of making your mantel ‘pop’ is another one we can definitely get on-board with. Ideal Home suggests painting an old wooden surround in a bright colour and pairing it with matching accents, such as cushions and rugs, in the room. This is sure to create a focal point with the ‘wow-factor’.

If your fireplace lacks an actual fire, Ideal Home has some wonderful tips on how to make the most of the unused space. Our favourite has to be turning a chimney breast into a home office (how inventive is that?!). The article suggests turning an unused upstairs fireplace into a desk or dressing table and attaching shelves to the chimney breast. You can also keep your work hidden away with doors that match your wardrobes (see the image below).

Image: Future PLC/Anna Stathaki

If you aren’t in need of a home office or dressing table, you can also fill an empty fireplace with shelves, storage or even logs for a rustic display. There’s a world of possibilities for your fireplace and if you think yours is due an update, this article is a great place to start!

Ends

Tessa and Steph at jmm PR

19th February 2021

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